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Writer's pictureDr. Emily Stefan, PT, DPT

6-9 Month Old Milestones

Updated: Oct 15, 2020

Hi everyone! I have been doing a series on my Instagram page on gross motor milestones. It is broken up by month, and I have shared ways to play at each month as well to promote motor milestones. These are only guidelines for typically developing children, meant for educational purposes, and there are ranges for every major milestone. If there is a month that your child isn't doing EXACTLY what it says they should, don't worry! Every child is different and unique, and as some children start walking at 12 months, others don't start until 17 months! Here are motor milestones for 6-9 month olds.

If you would like more information on each month, head on over to my Instagram page and check out my story highlights, where I provide even more info by video and ways to play at each month!


**This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you buy from them, the price will be the same for you, but I gain a small commission from you purchasing through my link! Thanks in advance for that :)



6 Months

Tummy: your baby will push up onto hands and reach, meaning they are able to weight bear on one hand. This is important for crawling soon! They may also pivot in a circle while on their belly.

Back: your baby may start to bring their feet up to their mouth, which you may think is gross, but it’s an AWESOME core strength activity! They also may roll both ways now. Babies are rarely on their back at this point.

Sitting: baby will sit by propping their hands on the floor in front of them. Their posture will look great, back will be nice and straight!


7 Months

Tummy: your baby might start to push up onto hands and knees! If they rock back and forth in this position, that is typical. They are learning all the new things their body can do and learning to coordinate their body when crawling starts!

Back: your baby may be rarely on their back at this point- this just means they are ready to me on the MOVE!

Sitting: baby will sit well without support at this stage. If they lose their balance to one side, they will be able to catch themselves by placing their hand down.


8 Months

Tummy: your baby might start to army crawl/ belly crawl! Sometimes this happens before crawling on hands and knees, sometimes it doesn’t happen at all!

Standing: your baby will pull up to kneeling position and they might start to pull up to standing. Initially it may look like they are just straightening their whole body to stand.

Sitting: baby might start to transition in and out of sitting. Sitting —> belly is usually easier than belly —> sitting. You also may see your baby transition all the way to belly or just to hands and knees- every baby is different and either is okay! They also may play more in a side sitting position (aka cheerleader pose).


9 Months

Tummy: your baby may assume the “downward dog” position. This is an indication that they are trying to stand up from the floor but don’t quite have the strength/coordination yet. They also may be crawling on their hands and knees now!

Standing: your baby will pull up to standing and they may attempt to retrieve a fallen toy, but plop down to sitting due to lack of control at this point.

Sitting: your baby will still be working on transitions in and out of sitting and playing in side sitting!


Popular Toys at This Stage


Activity Mat


Emily- you're telling me you STILL use an activity mat at 6-9 months old?! That's right, I do! If there is one toy that is most useful throughout multiple gross motor milestones, it's this one! I use this for tummy time at 6 months old to encourage pushing up onto straight arms (cobra pose) and reach at hanging toys, and 7-8 months old for reaching on hands and knees to play the piano! You can also work on sitting posture by reaching at the hanging toys, which brings their attention up and therefore improves posture!


Foot Rattles


If you are still working on feet to hands and feet to mouth, these are great encouragers! Foot rattles and even beads are shiny and encouraging to baby! **Beads are not meant to be a children's toy, so they should always be supervised hen using beads.


Crawling Balls



These are two fantastic options if your little one is learning to crawl! They roll away from baby and encourage them to chase it! Turn it on, and watch your little one go!


Activity Tables

Activity tables are great when your child is ready to kneel and stand. These are some of my favorites. I am also a huge fan of the Nugget Comfort brand for standing and MANY other activities. I do not get any type of commission from them, just really enjoy their high quality product to promote standing, sit to stand, kneeling, crawling, sitting, and cruising. Check them out if you haven't already!


Thank you for reading! If you have any questions do not hesitate to message me here or on my Instagram. As always, if you have concerns about your child's development, please talk to your pediatrician! I hope you found this post helpful!

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